July 2, 2022-Soling 50 & ODOM Points
It looks like we have definitely overcome the May gray and June gloom syndromes as sailors were greeted by picture perfect summer weather, excellent winds and delightful pond conditions. Also a huge surprise, traffic and parking were quite tolerable for a holiday weekend!
A special thank you for the crew that helped make these races possible. “R” white striped referee RD Ken Campbell, Gil Jansky for left biased and drifty mark setting, Kim Robbins for mark retrieval and skiff clean-up and Bob Williams for post racing hot dog rewards.
The first three ODOM races Gerry Wold was inadvertently affected by a rubber band handicap. During lunch break, Gerry discovered a rubber band wrapped around his keel bulb! Finger printing and DNA sampling are being conducted to determine if it was sabotage or a naturally occurring pond phenomenon? Non the less Gerry is still FAST!
There is a lot to this thing we call sailing and its not just about winning a race, so I asked google:
What’s fun about sailing? What’s so great about sailing?
Answers:
Sailing is an invigorating sport that offers many rewards, not the least of which is that it’s simply so much fun. Imagine white sails billowing against a clear sky, the brisk feel of the breeze on your face, and the gentle motions of the boat as it cleanly slices through the water.
Some sailors gain a profound sense of oneness with their boat, the sea, and the wind. The boat becomes a self-contained universe, the process of sailing becomes all-consuming. Any sense of time changes and expands, small moments becoming more important. Sailing can be a meditative, reflective and engrossing experience.
See You At The Pond!
JUNE Sail Division UPDATE
It seems fitting that our June report would appear on the summer solstice with the surprising monsoon clouds pouring in from the east. Did someone just flip the summer switch?
I’ve been absent most the month but it appears lots of good vibes are happening on our pond. The following is an update thanks to the numerous contributions of club members.
Cultivating interest in our hobby is something all of us should be excited about. Sailing is challenging, engaging and fun. It also helps build and sustain our hobby and club. Here is an experience Ben Reeve had to share. It puts a smile on my face!
Hey Skippers,
Just a happy little story from today…
Sharing your controller with a visitor at the pond can be a very rewarding and heartfelt experience. Today, between races, I overheard someone asking some questions of a skipper who had just taken his boat out of the water. I had just finished a practice race and went over to offer my controller to the Mom, and her two kids. They had driven by and stopped on their way to the airport to see what we were doing and were getting ready to leave back to Colorado.
I handed my controller to Delaney who I found out actually had a little sailing knowledge sailing her very own 18’ day sailor on the lake in CO. She took to the IOM very well, and here’s a photograph of how she felt about it.
As you can see, she’s all smiles and was having a fantastic time. After a few moments of getting used to the controls she even started a race, with me coaching and did pretty well. Her brother Evan was on a DF95 shortly after this with another skipper handing over the controller. Both were all smiles in no time. They didn’t have much time, but after about 30mins we shook hands with Mom and Evan, and I got a little hug from Delaney for making her day. It’s safe to say she is hooked on RC sailing!
SO PLEASE – when someone asks questions, take a moment and share our joys and passion of the sport. Pretty soon these two will be back, and you can bet they will be hard to beat!
Wishing you all good winds!
Ben
SAILING POINTS FOR JUNE
A Note From our Vice Commodore of Sail, Bob Williams:
We have 15 more Pts Races this year and we NEED to fill the following schedule. If you volunteer for a particular date & you cannot make that date it is your responsibility to find a substitute & notify VCS Bob! It is obvious that sailors do not want to get the skiff out to set & pick up marks.If you are not comfortable about doing this , ask for assistance as I am sure others will help you!! If not, I will appoint you some help! Please email me your volunteer RD dates
Thank you, Bob!
July 2 -Sol50,ODOM , S/B
July 23 -DF95, IOM
Aug.6 -ODOM,Sol50,S/B
Aug.13 DF95 Fun Regatta
Aug.20- DF95,IOM
Sept.3 Sol50,ODOM, S/B
Sept.10- DF95,IOM
Oct. 1- ODOM,Sol50, S/B
Oct. 8- IOM Fun Regatta
Oct. 15-DF95,IOM
Nov.5- Sol50,ODOM, S/B
Nov.19-IOM,DF95
Dec.3- ODOM,Sol50,S/B
Dec.10-DF95,IOM
Dec.17-Holiday Lights
2022 Midseason Cumulative Points Update
Thanks to our score keeper, Ken Campbell, posted are cumulative points for active fleets in Sail Division. Club Points Regattas are conducted two Saturdays a month. This year we have skippers sailing DF95, IOM, SOLING 50 and ODOM class RC sailboats on Mission Bay Yacht Model Pond. If you are interested in joining the regatta activity, it’s not too late to get in on the fun.
See You At the Pond, Gil
May 21- IOM & DF95 Points
Cool weather, thick stratus and spring time eddy breezes were the dominant forces at our sailing pond today with IOM and DF 95 skippers navigating the highly variable aquatic landscape!
VC Bob Williams motivated todays enthusiastic team of RD’s and support team. Our group expresses genuine appreciation to Kerim Baran, Ken Wild and Steve Delva for RD duties and course setting. Ken Campbell’s Racing Rules Clinic/Score keeper and Bill Bridge and numerous other hands assisted with clean up!
We had a respectable showing of eight IOM skippers. Plus a generous showing in the DF 95 fleet, with twenty boats challenging the starting line. Thank you to all that participated!
After a strenuous day of sailing skippers were treated to another great hotdog bbq at the boat shed. Thank you Bob Williams for another fun day at the pond!
Smooth Sailing!
Soling 50-May 14 Fun Regatta
Hey all,
Today was the Soling 50 Fun Day Regatta. The event was held under partly cloudy skies and a wonderful 75 degree weather. Blowing pretty much down the pond, the wind was between 5-7 with at times up to 10mph. We had six skippers attending todays battle for bragging rights. Before we get to the scores, shout out to Kim, Ty, and Bob for helping me retrieve the buoys, clean up and put it all away.
A total of 12 races were made with two throw outs given at the end of racing. There were 10 medium courses, 1 short, and 1 long course. Several breakdowns hindered a couple of skippers but most finished the racing by days end. Without further ado, the final scores:
Ken Campbell 15
Chris Staiger 17
Ty Beach 22
Gerry Wold 42
Kim Robbins 45
Ken Wild 59
Thank you
Ben
Ben Reeve gets the Gold Medal of Appreciation for RD and scoring a fun day of sailing!
If you are an RC enthusiast, big boat sailor or just pond side spectator the San Diego Argonauts welcome your interest into our FUN and challenging hobby of RC Sailing!
May 7, 2022-Soling 50 & ODOM Points Racing
May is here! Gray is here! But spring breezes are beginning to frequent our Mission Bay Model Yacht Pond with skippers continually challenged to our tricky sailing conditions. Five Soling and Six ODOM racers greeted the opportunity to test their patience and skills.
A Special Thank You to our volunteers! Without you our day on the pond would not be the same!
Tom Warren-Race Director
Steve Ross- Assistant Scoring
Ben Reeve- Purser
Ken Campbell- Racing Rules Clinic & Scoring
Kerim Baran- Drone and Clean Up
Bob Williams- VC Sail and Hot Dog Man
SPECIAL NOTE:
NEXT SATURDAY, MAY 14th IS THE SOLING 50 FUN DAY REGATTA.
SEE YOU AT THE POND!
DF95 & IOM – April Points Races
Partly cloudy and cool temperature day at the Pond. Winds mostly W & NW. Shifty and gusty day. With gusts reaching low teens, we had nine DF95s and five IOMs competing this Saturday.
Thank you Tom Warren and Jon Rogers for RD’ing the DF95s and IOMs and setting and clearing the course. And, thank you Bob Williams for running the BBQ and hot dogs post race! Thank you to everyone else who contributed in making this another beautiful day at the pond.
Before the races, we had a brief Racing Rules Clinic with Ken Campbell explaining the “Port vs. Starboard rules at the Windward Mark”.
The results and some select scenes for the DF95 and IOM races can be seen below.
ODOM and Soling 50- April Points
Grey overcast. Temperature hovering around 60 degrees. Light 3-7 SW winds early. Shifting right slightly as the day progressed. These are the conditions our pond sailors experienced this Saturday. Not exactly ice fishing weather, but a warming hut may have been welcomed by a few crew members.
Ben Reeve, our volunteer RD for the ODOM Class, set a standard mark/course arrangement. Bens row boat etiquette is definitely improving! Steve Ross was scoring the slow motion action while Pat Nevitt monitored mark rounding’s. Ben passed the RD baton to Karim Baran, who managed the Soling 50 races. Thank You to all helpers.
Before the skippers meeting Ken Campbell reviewed barging at the starting line and ways to avoid getting trapped between the pin and other boats. Kerim Baran documented the seminar for the benefit of all.
We had six ODOMs and four Soling 50’s each making 6 appearances at the starting gate. Here are the results:
Videos from today’s Soling 50 races:
(All 6 races are captured in one video. The first 3 were shot from the sidelines, the last 3 from the drone.)
The peanut gallery is alive and well!
Don’t forget to order your hats and t-shirts! Bob Williams is eager to take your order.
A Closing note from Ben Reeve:
“In 2022 we’re all quite aware of basically everyone having a camera in there phone and I see many people taking pictures and would really love to see some of those photos shared with the membership. Here I am providing some of the vintage photos I have taken recently. Vintage in that I have used several cameras that are 40 to 100 years old recently at the pond. These are unedited negatives scans straight from the camera. Enjoy and don’t forget to share your photos.” All contributions are welcome and appreciated!
Sooth Sailing, Gil
Hat & T-Shirt Orders
Members have been asking for hats and T-shirts for quite some time! Bob Williams has been working on your requests!! This is a unique opportunity to spruce up your wardrobe and support Sail Division, just in time for summer..
New Sail Division T Shirts – Digital Printed Back and Front
Ball Cap Navy with Embroidery Sail Division Logo
ORDER TODAY!!
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MAR19 IOM & DF95 Points
March was an active month on our pond with three consecutive weekends of sailing events! Thank You, to all that participated!
The month wraps up with IOM and DF95 fleets, with a competitive day of sailing. Winds were favorable all day and each fleet easy completed a series of six races.
Prior to racing and our skippers meeting Ken Campbell conducted a 10 minute discussion with the topics When do the Rules Apply and Proper Hailing. Hailing is a subject all skippers are aware of, but challenged to initiate, while engaged on the water. There were numerous questions and clarifications during this seminar. The challenge to all is taking the knowledge to the race course. Kerim documented the class:
Before the races, Commodore Mark Hallberg recognized volunteers by handing out cash awards to those who routinely contribute to club activities. This was a huge incentive to get involved with our club. Don’t spend your dividends all in one place!
IOM’s were on the course at noon, greeted by southwest winds in the 6-8mph range. Medium courses were the norm. As the day progressed and the IOM’s had a few races under their belt, winds shifted right for a little variation. Nice conditions!
The fleet of twelve DF95 started their series of six races with slightly freshening wind conditions and competitive racing. Chris Stager is back on the Argonauts sailing circuit with years of RC racing experience. It’s great to see the level of competition continue to grow!
At the end of the day Bob Williams, on his 80th Birthday, fired up the grill and served delicious hot dogs. Happy Birthday Bob.. Thank you for all you do!
VOLUNTEERS MAKE THESE EVENTS POSSIBLE-SMOOTH-AND FUN!
THANK YOU TO ALL THAT CONTRIBUTED TODAY:
Bill Bridge – Skiff and Mark Prep
Ken Campbell – Rules Seminars & Points Scoring
Ben Reeve – Registration & Collections
Kerim Baran – IOM RD and Drone Video Documentarian
Gil Jansky – Course Marks / RD DF95 series
Commodore, Mark Hallberg – Assistant RD and Scoring
VC Sail, Bob Williams – Grill Master
Keith Sternal – Skiff Clean-Up
Smooth Sailing, Gil